Method for treatment of textile materials with liquids



Feb. 5, 1963 w. L. FREEZE ETAL 3,076,724

METHOD FOR TREATMENT OF TEXTILE MATERIALS WITH LIQUIDS Original Filed May 8, 1957 HIGH SPEED PDS/f/OA/ LOWSPEED POS/T/ON United States This application is a division of Serial No. 657,765, filed May 8, 1957, and now Patent No. 2,977,662, issued April 4, 1961;

This invention relates to methods for treating'continuous running materials such as yarn, fabrics, and the like with liquids such as sizing, dyes, resins, rinses, fixers etc.

Our inventionv has for its chief aim, the provision of a method ofthe kind referred whereby entrained air is expelled from the material just before it is run submerged in a bath of the treating liquid and thereby preconditioned to rapidly absorb the liquid, and also whereby the excess liquid from the material is removed so that only a definite uniform amount is retained.

A further aim of our invention is to provide a method whereby the aforesaid air expulsion and removal of excess liquid is controlled in accordance with the speed at which the material is progressed in the treatment for attainment of uniform results under all conditions of operation.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the following detailed description of the attached drawings, wherein The accompanying drawing is a view, in longitudinal section of an apparatus for continuously treating running yarns or fabric With a treating liquid in accordance with our new method.

As herein exemplified, the apparatus comprises a trough 1 of which the bottom is jacketed as at 2 for circulation of a tempering medium, such as steam or hot water therethrough, the trough being supported crosswise of the tops of a pair of spaced side frames 3 and 4.

Normally maintained in the trough 1 at a level L, see the accompanying drawing, is a quantity of treating liquid; and running partly submerged in the liquid are two spaced hollow rolls 5 and 6 preferably of stainless steel or other metal immune against corrosion, the first roll 5 being of a diameter somewhat less than that of the second roll 6. A rubber covered wiper roll, designated 5a serves to keep the exposed portion of the roll 5 clean of the liquid. Cooperative with the first roll 5 within the trough 1 is a smaller rubber-sheathed squeeze roll 7 which is normally only partly submerged in the liquid and cooperative with the roll 6 is a smaller padder roll 8 which is normally completely submerged. It is to be particularly noted that the disposal of the squeeze roll 7 relative to the roll 5 is such that the nip between them is substantially at the level of the liquid in the trough to in sure that the air entrained in the fabric is displaced just before the material enters the liquid. Also cooperative with the roll 6 is a superimposed solid rubber covered quetch roll 10, and in turn cooperative with the latter is a small, rubber covered dressing roll 11.

The material M being treated is drawn from a supply beam (not illustrated), and directed, as shown in the drawing, down into the trough 1 over a lead-in roll 12 journalled in bearings 13 atop the sides of the trough adjacent one end of the latter, to pass downwardly of the first roll 5 then beneath the squeeze and padde-r rolls 7 and 8, then up over the second roll 6 through the nip between it and the quetch roll 10, then upwardly about the quetch roll, and finally over the dressing roll 11 en route to a collecting beam (not illustrated).

The journals of the roll 5 are supported for free rotation in suitably packed hearings in the side walls of the trough 1, While the ends of the shaft 6a of the roll 6 are rotatively supported in ball bearing assemblies 13 set into the side walls of the trough. To one end of the shaft 6a of roll 6 is secured a sprocket wheel which is driven, through a chain, from a sprocket pinion on the shaft of a regulatable speed gear unit. The roll 5 is positively driven at the same peripheral speed as the roll 6 through a chain trained about a sprocket pinion on the shaft of the former and a sprocket Wheel on the shaft of the latter.

The squeeze roll 7 is suspended by fixed arms 22 on a cross shaft 23 whereof the opposite ends are engaged in bearings 24 at the top ends of toothed rack bars 25 constrained to endwise or up and down movement in vertical grooves in the outer faces of the side walls of frames 3 and 4 and held to said grooves by retaining strips. Meshing with the rack bars 25 are spur pinions 27 respectively at opposite ends of a cross shaft 28 rotatively borne in the side walls of the trough 1 below the trough bottom. The ends of the rock shaft 23 extend outwardly beyond the bearings 24 at the tops of the rack bars 25,- and atlixed to them are short arms having, at their distal ends, small rollers that bear upon the edges of eccentric cams which are movable about projecting studs on said rack bars. Fulcrumed at their bottom ends to lateral brackets on the rack bars 25 are cylinders whereof the piston rods are pivotally connected to short lever extensions of the eccentric cams. The stainless steel wiper roll indicated at 37 serves to keep the front or upper exposed portion of the squeeze roll 7 clean of the liquid.

The padder roll 8 is similarly suspended within the trough by arms 38 fast on a cross shaft 39 whereof the opposite ends are engaged in bearings 40 at the top ends of rack bars 41, the latter being slidable in vertical grooves in the outer faces of the'side walls of frames 3 and 4 and held to said grooves by keeper strips provided for that purpose. Also similarly, the rack bars 41 mesh with spur pinions '43 at opposite ends of a separate cross shaft 45 rotatively borne in the side walls of the trough 1 below the trough bottom. Here also, short arms, afiixed to opposite ends of the cross shaft 39, have adjustable rollers that bear upon eccentric cams movable about pro jecting studs on the rack bars 41, short lever extensions of said eccentric cams being connected to the piston rods of pressure fluid cylinders which, at their lower ends, are fulcrumed to lateral brackets on said rack bars.

The journals 55 of the quetch roll 10 are engaged in bearing blocks not shown which are slidably confined to longitudinal guideways in upstanding carrier arms 58 fulcrumed on the protruding end housings of the inset bearings 13 wherein the roll 6 is journalled. Atop the arms 58 are pressure fluid-actuated devices in the form of diaphragm motors 60 of which the pendent stems 61 are adjustably connected to the aforementioned bearing blocks.

The dressing roll 11 has its journals engaged respectively in the short upright extremities of bell crank levers fulcrumed on fixed studs 67, the longer or horizontal extremities of said bell crank levers being coupled, by means of adjustable links to the aforementioned hearing blocks.

Bolted to the carrier arms 58 at their bottoms are gear sectors 70 which are in mesh with spur pinions 71 at the outer ends of another transverse shaft 72, said shaft being operable through a sprocket chain 73 by a reversible servo motor 75.

Surrounding the exposed surface portion of the quetch roll 10 with slight intervening clearance 78 is a shroud 30 in the form of a hollow hook which is curved concentrically with said roll, and which is secured at opposite ends, by brackets to the slide bearing blocks of the quetch roll. During operation of the apparatus a pressurized gaseous tempering medium, such as steam, is introduced into the shroud 80 adjacent one of its longitudinal edges as at 81, for ultimate discharge into the clearance interval 78 through a slit 82 in the inner wall of the shroud adjacent the opposite longitudinal edges of the latter. A similar shroud 85 is provided for the dressing roll 11 into which steam is introduced through hose 86 adjacent one longitudinal edge for discharge through a lengthwise slit 87 in the inner wall of said shroud adjacent its opposite longitudinal edge. Since, during the operation of the apparatus, the rolls 5 and 6 rotate in the direction of the arrows thereon in the drawing, the steam is carried around within the intervals 78 and 88 to keep the rolls and 11 warm and moist and thereby prevent premature chilling and hardening of the sizing on the material M as it rounds said rolls. For a similar purpose the submerging roll 6 is kept heated from within by steam introduced axially thereof at one end and exhausted from the other end thereof.

In order to enhance the effectiveness of the padder roll 8, a vibrator 95 is connected to each of the arms 38 by which said roll is suspended. For a like reason each of the slide bearing blocks for the quetch roll 10 has connected thereto a similar vibrator. The vibrators 95 are shown as being of a pneumatically actuated type to which compressed air is conducted through flexible tubes 97.

Compressed air for operation of the cylinders influential upon the squeeze roll 7 is supplied through a pipe line having branches which respectively extend to the upper and lower ends of said cylinders. Interposed in the aforesaid pipe line is a plunger type control valve 101 which is arranged to be actuated by a cam 102 on the shaft 72. Similarly, compressed air for operation of the cylinder influential upon the padder roll 8 is supplied through a pipe having branches extending, respectively, to the upper and lower ends of said cylinders. Interposed in the pipe line 105 is a control valve similar to the control valve 101, arranged to be actuated by a separate cam on the shaft 72. By way of two other pipe lines, compressed air is supplied respectively to tops and the bottoms of the diaphragm motors 60 influential upon the quetch roll 10.

Operation Assume the apparatus to be running in the accompanying drawing with the rolls 5 and 6 turning in the direction of the arrows thereon. As the material M passes between the unsubrnerged portion of the roll 5 (kept clean by the wiper roll 5a) and the squeeze roll 7 with its wiper roll 37, it is held against said roll 5 under pressure by the action of the cylinders provided for that purpose. As a result, the entrained air is forced out of the material and the latter is thereby pre-conditioned to rapidly absorb the treating liquid upon entering the bath and underpassing the squeeze roll 7. In upwardly rounding the padder roll 3 and passing between it and the roll 6, the absorbed liquid is caused to thoroughly penetrate the material due to the pressure exerted upon the padder roll by action of the cylinders associated therewith, even penetration of the liquid being assured through the constant vibration induced in said padder roll by the vibrators 95. As the material M emerges from the bath and passes between the roll 6 and the quetch roll 10 (which is maintained in contact with the roll 6 under pressure by the action of the diaphragm motors 60) excess liquid is displaced from the material and drains back into the trough, the liquid so removed being prevented from congealing due to the heating of the roll 6 from within. Finally, as the material passes between the quetch roll 10 and the associated dressing roll 11, any liquid which may have been trapped under the material in rounding the roll 6 is removed, the steam discharged from shrouds and incidentally serving to prevent congealing of the liquid on the bare portions of the rolls 10 and 11.

In practice, a suitable means (not illustrated) is provided to cause the servo motor 75 to partially turn in one direction or the other upon increasing or decreasing the speed of the roll 6 and, in turn, the rate of travel of the material M through the apparatus, so that compensative increase or decrease of air is supplied to the upper ends of the cylinders associated with rolls 7 and 8 and to the upper ends of the diaphragm motors 60. In this way more or less pressure is caused to be exerted proportionately upon the squeeze and padder rolls 7 and 8 and upon the quetch roll 10 as may be required or desired in the treatment of different kinds of yarns or textile materials run through the apparatus. Due to turning of the shaft 72, the arms 58 will be tilted either to the left or to the right of vertical center as shown in full and dotted lines in the drawing so that the material will pass about more or less of the surface of the roll 6. It is to be understood that the operation is such that when the speed of travel of the material M is increased, the pressure on the squeeze, dressing roll 11 and padder rolls 7 and 8 is increased and the quetch roll 10 is moved leftward about the roll 6, and vice versa. According to our invention therefore, the material is evenly treated with assurance of uniform absorption of the liquid throughout, the length and breadth of the sheet regardless of the speed of travel of the material.

It is to be understood that we do not consider ourselves limited to the precise details of construction herein shown by way of example, since these may be varied or modified in many ways without departing from the spirit of the invention as will be readily understood by those schooled in the textile treating art.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A method of treating continuously running textile material with a liquid comprising the steps of directing ,said material downwardly into a bath of said liquid, squeezing said downwardly moving material at the surface of said liquid with a pressure proportional to the speed of said running material to displace entrained air therefrom, intermittently padding said material While submerged in said liquid with a pressure proportional to the speed of said running material, directing said material above the surface of said liquid and squeezing said material above the surface of said liquid with a pressure proportional to the speed of said running material, thereby removing excess liquid from said material.

2. A method of treating continuously running textile material with a liquid comprising the steps of directing said material downwardly into a bath of said liquid, squeezing said downwardly moving material at the surface of said liquid with a pressure proportional to the speed of said running material to displace entrained air therefrom, allowing said material to absorb said liquid while running submerged therein, intermittently padding 5 6 said material while submerged in said liquid with a pressures of each of said squeezing actions are greater as the sure proportional to the speed of said running material, speed of said running material increases. directing said material above the surface of said liquid and squeezing said material above the surface of said References Cited m the file of thls Pawnt liquid with a pressure proportional to the speed of said 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS running material, thereby removing excess liquid from 2,627,480 Heizer 3 1953 said material, and then squeezing said material again 2,849,784 Adams Sam 2 53 while moving upwardly above the surface of said liquid 2 2 0 suggs 2 195 with a pressure proportional to the speed of said run- 10 2, 34,393 li May 5, 1959 g matelial- 2,977,662 Freeze et a1 Apr. 4, 1961 3. The method defined in claim 2 wherein the pres- 2,99%626 Kabelitz July 18, 1961 

1. A METHOD OF TREATING CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING TEXTILE MATERIAL WITH A LIQUID COMPRISING THE STEPS OF DIRECTING SAID MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY INTO A BATH OF SAID LIQUID SQUEEZING SAID DOWNWARDLY MOVING MATERIAL AT THE SURFACE OF SAID LIQUID WITH A PRESSURE PROPORTIONAL TO THE SPEED OF SAID RUNNING MATERIAL TO DISPLACE ENTRAINED AIR THEREFROM, INTERMITTENTLY PADDING SAID MATERIAL WHILE SUBMERGED IN SAID LIQUID WITH A PRESSURE PROPORTIONAL TO THE SPEED OF SAID RUNNING MATERIAL, DIRECTING SAID MATERIAL ABOVE THE SURFACE OF SAID LIQUID WITH A PRESMATERIAL ABOVE THE SURFACE OF SAID LIQUID WITH A PRESSURE PROPORTIONAL TO THE SPEED OF SAID RUNNING MATERIAL, THEREBY REMOVING EXCESS LIQUID FROM SAID MATERIAL. 